Born in Germany, I originally studied Fashion Design in Milan and worked for many years in the industry. After moving to the US in 2004, I studied photography at the Corcoran College of Art and Design and attended multiple workshops with Ron Haviv, Gary Knight, Larry Fink, Antonin Kratochvil and Anders Peterson. Simultaneously I started working on projects in Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe, involving numerous Non-Profits, the UNHCR, the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development and the Human Rights Center at Duke University. The emphasis in my work lies on rural communities with the focus at human, social and environmental issues.
My project on deported migrants “The Backpackers” has been shown at The Biennale in Venice 2017, in Medellin, Colombia and at the Center in Santa Fe. The book “The Backpackers” has been shown at MOPLA in LA and at Duke University Libraries, as well featured in Lensculture and the Huffington Post.
My work has been awarded the Project Launch Grant from the CENTER in Santa Fe, The Beth Block Award From HCP, several IPA and PX3 Prix de la Photography de Paris awards.
It has been shown at the Biennale in Venice, at the COP21 Climate Change Summit, in Paris, the C40 Mayors Summit in Mexico City, the Ragusa Foto Festival in Sicily, the Haitian Heritage Museum in Miami, at the Royal Photographic Society of Thailand in Bangkok, at the Galleria de Arte Colombo Americano in Medellin Colombia, at the Houston Center for Photography, at Duke University Special Collection Gallery, at WOLA Washington Office of Latin America in Washington DC, at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington DC, at the OAS Organization of the American States in collaboration with the IACHR Inter-American Center of Human Rights and a new project will be shown at the upcoming Biennale 2019 in Venice.
Since 2008 my work is part of the David M. Rubenstein 'Rare Book, Manuscript and Special Collections Library' for the Archive of Documentary Arts at Duke University.
AWARDS
2017 CENTER Santa Fe,Centers Juror's Choice Award
2016 Beth Block Honoraria, Houston Center for Photography
IPA 2015 First Prize, Editorial/Political
PX3 Prix de la Photography de Paris 2015, Gold or the category Nature
PX3 Prix de la Photography de Paris 2015, Bronze for the category Press
PX3 Prix de la Photography de Paris 2011 – 2015 Honorable mention
One Shot 2015, Honorable Mention for ‘ That’s my home’ and ‘Asylum’
PX3 Prix de la Photography de Paris 2013, Gold for the category Press
PX3 Prix de la Photography de Paris 2013, Silver for the category Press
IPA Honorable Mention 2015 and 2011
PX3 Prix de la Photography de Paris 2011, Silver for the category Travel
PX3 Prix de la Photography de Paris 2011, Bronze for the Feature Story
PX3 Prix de la Photography de Paris 2011, Bronze for the press category
IPA 2008, 3rd place people
Px3 Prix de la Photography de Paris 2007, Exhibition Winner
Golden Light Award, 2006
Marcel Bardon Memorial Award 2005
EXHIBITIONS
Biennale Venice 5-11/2019 Palazzo Mora
Climate Change exhibition, originally curated for the UN COP21 summit in Paris, Bangkok, Arts and Culture Center, in collaboration with the Royal Photographic Society of Thailand, 6/2018 - 7/2018
Biennale Venice 5-11/2017 Palazzo Mora
Galleria de Arte Colombo Americano, Medellin Colombia 9/2017 – 10/2017
Duke University, Rubinstein Library 8/2017 – 10/2017 The Backpackers
Ragusa Foto Festival, Sicily, Italy 6/2017 – 7/2017
MOPLA Photo Book Exhibition Los Angeles 2017 The Backpackers
C40 Mayors Summit 2016, Mexico City Chapultepec Parc 11/2016 – 1/2017
Houston Center for Photography, 34thAnnual Juried Membership Exhibition
Climate Change Summit COP21, Paris 2015
The New American Garden, National Building Museum, Washington 10/15-01/16
One Shot Group exhibit, The Loft at Liz’s LA 4/2015
Chernobyl, Antonin Kratochvil and Workshops, Manes Gallery, Prague
'al margen', Durham NC, Duke University Special Collection Gallery, Friedle Gallery, Latin America and the Caribbean 1/17 – 5/1/2011
‘al margen', Washington DC, OAS Organization of the American States and IACHR Inter-American Center of Human Rights, 11/18 - 01/8/2011
Shaken, Miami, Haitian Heritage Museum, 05/10 – 06/10
El Salvador, WOLA Washington DC 4/1/08 -6/30/08
FotoViajeros, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC, 1/16/08 2/10/08
PRESS
- http://lenscratch.com/2017/06/centers-project-launch-jurors-choice-award-petra-barth/
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/petra-barth-photographs-the-deported-backpackers_us_58fa5f51e4b0f02c3870e9c2
- https://www.ai-ap.com/publications/article/21033/photographer-profile-petra-barth-i-hope-to-cr.html
- http://www.ai-ap.com/publications/dispatches-from-latin-america/2017/02/
- https://www.lensculture.com/articles/petra-barth-the-backpackers-los-mochileros
- http://www.monthofphotography.com/mopla-photo-book-exhibition
- http://www.luciefoundation.org/programs/c40-mayors-summit-mexico-city/
- http://www.hcponline.org/exhibits/exhibitions/view/109/34th-annual-juried-membership-exhibition
- http://bookarts.us/Finelimitededitionbookbinding.html
- http://www.luciefoundation.org/programs/cop21/
- http://www.houstonpress.com/arts/dystopian-spaces-and-societal-woes-inform-hcps-juried-membership-exhibit-8593460
- http://tclf.org/sites/default/files/microsites/new-american-garden/sorg-residence.html
- http://tclf.org/sites/default/files/microsites/new-american-garden/OvSGalleryGuide_2015_download.pdf
- http://www.stinehoureditions.com/book-design/
- http://www.blurb.com/b/6217846-walking-on-water
- http://www.monthofphotography.com/events/oneshot
- Catholicism at Crossroads: Reactions to Evangelism is Guatemala
http://sites.duke.edu/history136a_01_s2011_jx24/2011/02/26/petra-barth-segues-to-liberation-theology/ - http://shaken.untecho.org/about/
- http://heyevent.com/event/1545649989040364/documentary-screening-clarksdale-mississippi
- Brazil's gritty favelas through the eyes of Petra Barth
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/arts-post/2010/12/brazils_gritty_favelas_through.html - http://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/findingaids/barthpetra/
- http://ms-modern.com/art/barefoot-workshops-photography-film-screening/
- TECHO works to overcome poverty in slums.
http://www.untechoparamipais.org/english/pagina-principal/media-room/news/page/3/ - http://haitianheritagemuseum.org/exhibit.html
COLLECTIONS
David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Private Colletion
PUBLICATIONS
- Climate Smart Evolution
- lenscratch 6/2017
- AI-AP ProPhotoDaily
- lensculture 1/2017
- The Backpackers/ Edition of 300
- The Backpackers/ Los Mochileros Limited Edition 2016, Book Arts Limited US
- The New American Garden
- Walking on Water 2015
- Mesoamerica, Stinehoureditions 2007
- Human Conditions Catalog 2007